This document defines key terms related to email deliverability and metrics. It explains concepts like CAN-SPAM compliance standards, deliverability rates, sender reputation scores, hard/soft bounces, single/double opt-in subscription models, spam traps, and metrics like open and read rates that are used to measure email marketing performance. The document is intended to help readers understand how to effectively send commercial emails and optimize email campaigns.

1. EMAIL
DELIVERABILITY
you should
know…
terms
19

2. 1
CAN-SPAM
- 2003 Federal law
Standards
for sending
COMMERCIAL
email

3. DELIVERABILITY
- actio
n
2
The ability to
GET AN EMAIL
into the intended
recipient’s INBOX

4. 3
ACCEPTANCE RATE
- it doesn’t mean it got to the
inbox
The PERCENTAGE of
emails that are
ACCEPTED by a
mail server

5. 4
SENDER POLICY FRAMEWORK
A Domain Name Server (DNS)
record that says an IP or
domain CAN SEND EMAIL
on my behalf
- technic stuf
al
f

6. When you send an ever
increasing number of
emails out of an IP
address to build up the
in order
IP’s
REPUTATION
WARMING UP AN IP
5
- so you can get email into an
inbox

7. Return Path’s
REPUTATION rating
of 0-100 for
every outgoing
mail server IP
SENDER SCORE 6
- Low score? Good luck getting into inbo
an
x

8. HARD BOUNCE
- lik hittin a bric wal
e g
k
l
A permanent
FAILURE to
deliver
7

9. 8
SOFT BOUNCE
- like hitting a softer brick
wall
TEMPORARY problems
with email delivery
After 72 hours it turns
into a Hard Bounce
Image credit: Gayle N

10. SINGLE OPT IN
9
- you’re in!
Usually involves taking
a form ENTRY and
immediately adding that
person to a live email list
Image credit: Dystopos

11. DOUBLE OPT IN 10
- confirm you’re
in!
For a user to be added to
an email list, she gets
sent an email with a
CONFIRMATION link.
After the user clicks the link,
she gets added to the
ongoing
email communication.

12. 11
SPA
M
- ASKED FO or
R
NOT junk
not work-safe email

13. SPAM REPORT
12
- feedbac
k
When someone
receives your email
and labels it as“SPAM”

14. 13
BLACK LIST
- a very bad
thing
A list that
denotes a
sender as a
SPAMMER

15. 14
HONEY POT
A planted
email address
designed to CATCH
spammers
trouble

16. 15
HAM
- good stuff
Email that is generally desired
and isn’t considered spam.
Image credit: Sifu Renka

17. 16
SPAM TRAP
- It all starts with a dead
email
For a time, email that hits a dead email
address will return
a hard bounce.
When the mail server sees traffic
going to the dead address,
it can turn the email into a Spam Trap,
accept the email &
report the sender as a SPAMMER.

18. 17
OPEN RATE
- measure wit a hidden
pixel
d
h
When someone
clicks on an email,
the PIXEL (image)
loads and is
counted as an open

19. 18
READ LENGTH
- do they like your
content?
The length
of TIME when
a person
opens an
email,
until they
close it

20. 19
DKIM
- digital
signature
A method for associating a DOMAIN
name to an email message
Image credit: DwarfVader

21. LEARN MORE ABOUT
EMAIL MARKETING.
NetGains Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
708/709, Corporate Avenue, Sonawala Lane, Goregaon East,
Mumbai – 400 063, India.
www.netgainstechnologies.com
Ph: +91-22-6139 7100